June. Graduation Season. Usually, a time filled with huge graduation ceremonies and parties to celebrate. The Class of 2020: you got gypped. I’m so sorry. Your final semester, prom season, and graduation got stolen from you, and let’s call it what it is: crappy.
Years ago, my dad shared this graduation speech with me. Mary Schmich wrote the mock-graduation speech in four hours. She was interviewed to tell her story about how the speech came to her. The speech was recorded and (some would argue) made famous by Baz Luhrmann (video is below).
In my opinion, this graduation address contains most if not all the great advice out there. I relisten to the audio version from time to time, and each time something new about it sticks out to me. At different times in your life, different lines will hold more meaning to you, but I’ve always enjoyed it.
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Here is the transcript, my comments are in italics:
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97:
Wear sunscreen. Retinols are also wonderful.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine. I have absolutely be thinking more about this and the truth of this statement as I turned 30 last year.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday. This could not be more true. Action is the antidote to worry!
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Yes, please tell me as well!
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch. This one.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. Dance it out y’all.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Always read the directions.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. I’ve realized how true this one is too.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out. Yasss.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Good stuff or what? This was written in 1997 and it holds just as much truth today in 2020. I think the only thing I would add is this: be kind. to yourself, to others. You will never regret kindness. I hope you’ll share it with someone if you enjoyed it as much as I did.
What are your thoughts? What would you add? Let me know in the comments below.
There is nothing more comforting than a warm chicken dish with a side of rice and some veggies. Check out my absolute favorite chicken recipes for quick weeknight dinners and or to satisfy the craving for hearty comfort food.